The Presiding Officer in the House of Representatives

The Legislative Branch of Authorities

The Texas Constitution divides state government into 3 separate merely equal branches: the executive branch, headed by the governor; the judicial branch, which consists of the Texas Supreme Court and all state courts; and the legislative co-operative, headed by the Texas Legislature, which includes the 150 members of the business firm of representatives and the 31 members of the state senate.

Members of the business firm of representatives are elected to two-year terms and represent districts of about 167,500 people each. Senators serve 4-year terms and serve about 811,000 people each.

The legislature meets every odd-numbered year to write new laws and to find solutions to the problems facing the country. This meeting time, which begins on the second Tuesday in January and lasts 140 days, is chosen the regular session. The governor can directly the legislature to meet at other times also. These meetings, called special sessions, can terminal no more than thirty days and deal only with issues called by the governor.

On the start twenty-four hours of each regular session, the 150 members of the house of representatives choose one of their members to be the speaker of the house. The speaker is the presiding officer of the house. He or she maintains gild, recognizes members to speak during fence, and rules on procedural matters.

The speaker besides appoints the chairs and vice chairs of the committees that study legislation and decides which other representatives will serve on those committees, subject field to seniority rules. At that place are 31 committees, each of which deals with a different bailiwick, and five committees that bargain with procedural or administrative matters for the house. Most members serve on two or 3 different committees.

In the senate, the presiding officer is the lieutenant governor, who is not actually a member of the senate. The lieutenant governor is the second-highest ranking officer of the executive branch of government and, like the governor, is called for a iv-twelvemonth term by popular vote in a statewide election.

The kickoff thing that the speaker of the business firm and the lieutenant governor inquire their respective houses of the legislature to practise is to decide on the rules that the legislators volition follow during the session. Some legislative procedures are provided for in the state constitution, but additional rules can exist adopted by a house of the legislature if approved by a majority vote of its members.

Once rules have been adopted, the legislature begins to consider bills.

Introducing a Pecker

A representative or senator gets an thought for a bill by listening to the people he or she represents and and so working to solve their problem. A bill may also abound out of the recommendations of an acting committee study conducted when the legislature is not in session. The idea is researched to determine what state police needs to exist changed or created to best solve that problem. A bill is and so written by the legislator, oft with legal assistance from the Texas Legislative Council, a legislative agency which provides pecker drafting services, research assistance, computer support, and other services for legislators.

In one case a bill has been written, it is introduced by a member of the house or senate in the member'south own chamber. Sometimes, similar bills near a particular issue are introduced in both houses at the aforementioned time past a representative and senator working together. However, whatsoever nib increasing taxes or raising coin for use by the state must start in the house of representatives.

Firm members and senators tin can introduce bills on any subject during the first 60 calendar days of a regular session. After threescore days, the introduction of whatsoever bill other than a local bill or a beak related to an emergency declared by the governor requires the consent of at to the lowest degree four-fifths of the members nowadays and voting in the house or 4-fifths of the membership in the senate.

Afterwards a bill has been introduced, a curt description of the neb, called a caption, is read aloud while the bedchamber is in session so that all of the members are enlightened of the bill and its bailiwick. This is called the get-go reading, and it is the point in the process where the presiding officer assigns the bill to a committee. This assignment is announced on the chamber flooring during the first reading of the beak.

The Committee Process

The chair of each committee decides when the committee volition meet and which bills will be considered. The house rules let a firm committee or subcommittee to meet: (1) in a public hearing where testimony is heard and where official activity may be taken on bills, resolutions, or other matters; (ii) in a formal meeting where the members may discuss and take official action without hearing public testimony; or (3) in a piece of work session for discussion of matters earlier the committee without taking formal action. In the senate, testimony may be heard and official action may be taken at whatsoever meeting of a senate committee or subcommittee. Public testimony is well-nigh always solicited on bills, allowing citizens the opportunity to present arguments on different sides of an issue.

A firm committee or subcommittee belongings a public hearing during a legislative session must mail discover of the hearing at least five agenda days before the hearing during a regular session and at least 24 hours in accelerate during a special session. For a formal meeting or a work session, written notice must be posted and sent to each member of the committee ii hours in advance of the meeting or an announcement must be filed with the periodical clerk and read while the business firm is in session. A senate committee or subcommittee must post notice of a meeting at least 24 hours earlier the meeting.

After because a bill, a committee may cull to accept no activeness or may issue a study on the bill. The committee report, expressing the committee's recommendations regarding action on a bill, includes a record of the committee's vote on the report, the text of the bill every bit reported by the committee, a detailed bill analysis, and a fiscal annotation or other impact statement, equally necessary. The written report is then printed, and a copy is distributed to every member of the house or senate.

In the house, a copy of the commission written report is sent to either the Committee on Calendars or the Commission on Local and Consent Calendars for placement on a calendar for consideration by the full firm. In the senate, local and noncontroversial bills are scheduled for senate consideration past the Senate Administration Committee. All other bills in the senate are placed on the regular order of business organization for consideration by the total senate in the society in which the bills were reported from senate commission. A bill on the regular club of business may not be brought up for flooring consideration unless the senate sponsor of the beak has filed a written find of intent to suspend the regular gild of concern for consideration of the beak.

Floor Action

When a bill comes upwardly for consideration by the full house or senate, it receives its 2d reading. The bill is read, again by explanation but, and so debated by the full membership of the chamber. Whatsoever member may offer an amendment, only it must exist approved by a majority of the members present and voting to be adopted. The members then vote on whether to pass the bill. The pecker is and so considered by the full torso once more on third reading and final passage. A nib may be amended once again on third reading, only amendments at this stage require a two-thirds majority for adoption. Although the Texas Constitution requires a bill to exist read on three split days in each firm earlier it can accept the force of law, this constitutional dominion may exist suspended by a four-fifths vote of the house in which the bill is pending. The senate routinely suspends this ramble provision in order to requite a nib an firsthand tertiary reading later on its second reading consideration. The house, nonetheless, rarely suspends this provision, and third reading of a neb in the business firm ordinarily occurs on the day following its second reading consideration.

In either business firm, a bill may be passed on a voice vote or a record vote. In the house, record votes are tallied past an electronic vote board controlled past buttons on each member'south desk-bound. In the senate, tape votes are taken by calling the curl of the members.

If a nib receives a bulk vote on third reading, it is considered passed. When a beak is passed in the house where it originated, the neb is engrossed, and a new copy of the pecker which incorporates all corrections and amendments is prepared and sent to the reverse chamber for consideration. In the second house, the neb follows basically the same steps it followed in the outset house. When the bill is passed in the opposite house, it is returned to the originating chamber with any amendments that have been adopted simply attached to the bill.

If a pecker is returned to the originating bedchamber without amendments, it is put in final form, signed by the speaker and lieutenant governor, and sent to the governor.

Action on the Other House's Amendments and Conference Committees

If a bill is returned to the originating bedroom with amendments, the originating chamber tin can either agree to the amendments or request a conference committee to piece of work out differences betwixt the firm version and the senate version. If the amendments are agreed to, the beak is put in final form, signed by the presiding officers, and sent to the governor.

Conference committees are composed of five members from each firm appointed by the presiding officers. In one case the conference committee reaches agreement, a conference commission written report is prepared and must exist approved by at least three of the five conferees from each house. Briefing committee reports are voted on in each house and must be canonical or rejected without amendment. If approved by both houses, the neb is signed by the presiding officers and sent to the governor.

Governor'due south Action

Upon receiving a pecker, the governor has 10 days in which to sign the bill, veto it, or allow it to become police force without a signature. If the governor vetoes the bill and the legislature is notwithstanding in session, the bill is returned to the house in which information technology originated with an explanation of the governor'due south objections. A ii-thirds majority in each house is required to override the veto. If the governor neither vetoes nor signs the pecker within ten days, the bill becomes a law. If a bill is sent to the governor inside ten days of concluding adjournment, the governor has until 20 days after final adjournment to sign the bill, veto it, or permit information technology to become law without a signature.

Constitutional Amendments

Proposed amendments to the Texas Constitution are in the form of joint resolutions instead of bills and crave a vote of two-thirds of the entire membership in each house for adoption. Joint resolutions are not sent to the governor for approval, but are filed straight with the secretary of land. A articulation resolution proposing an amendment to the Texas Constitution does not become effective until it is approved by Texas voters in a general election.

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Source: https://house.texas.gov/resources/bill/